The government will switch the operating system of its computers from Windows to Linux, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Thursday. The Interior Ministry said the ministry will be test-running Linux on its PCs, and if no security issues arise, Linux systems will be introduced more widely within the government. The decision comes amid concerns about the cost of continuing to maintain ...

Police have nabbed 93 people for online drug dealing in a two-month crackdown between March 11 and May 13, conducted jointly by the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Of them, 58 are charged with possessing and using drugs, 18 with advertising drug dealings, and 17 with distributing drugs. According to the police, 26 percent of online drug dealing cases were scams ...

The police said Thursday that 14 people in Busan have been booked on suspicion of selling counterfeit luxury goods. According to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, the retailers are suspected of selling luxury brand knockoffs at Gukje Market, a market located in the port city’s central district. The police said the suspects operated the business undercover, on the upper floors of buildings w...

Police in Daegu are investigating 24 Thai nationals on suspicions of various drug offenses including smuggling. Daegu Bukbu Police Station said Thursday 11 suspects face charges of smuggling drugs such as methamphetamine and yaba -- a mix of methamphetamine and caffeine -- from Thailand since May last year. The police confiscated 292.9 grams of meth and 244 yaba pills. One of the suspected drug...

The government is rolling out emergency measures to assist individuals with serious mental illnesses, in light of recent incidents where mentally ill suspects were implicated in violent crimes. A policy framework outlined by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Wednesday includes expansion of mental health care infrastructure to make diagnosis and treatment more accessible, increased medical su...

South Korea has been added to the European Commission’s list of countries outside the European Union whose pharmaceutical ingredients and products meet the manufacturing and regulatory standards of the trading bloc, according to the Food and Drug Safety Ministry. The listing certifies that Korea’s good manufacturing practices comply with the EU’s GMP regulations. Countries on the list are exemp...

Four teenagers accused of causing the death of a classmate during a bullying incident were sentenced to prison terms Tuesday. In the final trial, Incheon District Court sentenced the defendants to terms ranging from a minimum of 18 months to four years. Two of the defendants, who admitted to the charge of causing bodily injury resulting in death were each sentenced to 18 months to three years, ...

Authorities are investigating a chemical explosion at a mobile phone parts manufacturer that left one dead and three injured Monday in central South Korea. Police said Tuesday they were launching a joint probe with National Forensic Service, Korea National Fire Agency and Korea Energy Agency to identify the cause of the explosion and details surrounding the accident, such as whether safety regul...

Police have booked two high school students speeding on expressway without license. Highway patrol said Tuesday that the two 17-year-olds face charges of speeding at 180 kilometers per hour on a 30-kilometer stretch on a Busan-bound expressway. The speed limit for the road is 100 kph. The two rented a Hyundai SUV through a car sharing service under one of their fathers’ names, the police said. ...

Police raided a plastic surgery clinic under suspicion of having illicitly supplied Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin with propofol on Monday, the third raid since the allegations came to light in March. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Monday seven officers off its search unit had been dispatched to the clinic in Gangnam district, Seoul, at 10 a.m. for search and seizure. Police are looking in...

A group chat where journalists anonymously shared secretly filmed videos of women being sexually assaulted will now be the subject of a formal investigation, according to the police. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s cybercrime unit said Sunday that DSO -- a civic organization dedicated to the elimination of online sex crimes -- filed a police complaint accusing the chat room participants o...

Foreign nationals without employer insurance who are staying six months or longer in South Korea are required to enroll in the country’s National Health Insurance Service starting in July, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Until now, enrollment in the program was optional for those without employer insurance. Visitors were eligible to enroll if they stayed longer than three months...

A police lieutenant was arrested Thursday on charges of accepting bribes in exchange for settling a case involving illegal admission of minors at a club in Gangnam, Seoul. He is the first incumbent police officer to be arrested on suspicion of collusive ties between the police and Gangnam clubs. The officer, who is a member of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s investigation unit, faces charges...

A 24-year-old with schizophrenia wounded two police officers and an ambulance driver in the process of refusing to be taken to the hospital at around 5:22 a.m. on Thursday in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province. Chungju Police Station said Thursday the man is being investigated on suspicion of obstruction of official business. The police said the incident occurred at a hallway of a studio apart...

The husband of the recent expressway accident victim denied knowing why his wife exited the vehicle, which led to two consecutive human-vehicle collisions and resulted in her death, Gimpo Police Station said Thursday. The victim, identified by local media Wednesday as actress Han Ji-sung, died after being struck by a taxi and an SUV at around 4 a.m. Monday on the Incheon Airport Expressway in Gi...